Archive:Google Summer of Code/2015: Difference between revisions

From Official Kodi Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(→‎Team-Kodi proposal ideas up for discussion: replace old ideas with current ideas)
Line 71: Line 71:
{{editor note|These ideas were copied from 2014.}}
{{editor note|These ideas were copied from 2014.}}


=== Web development ===
=== Server Improvement ===
Kodi has grown greatly over the past several years from a standalone program with very little interaction with the outside world to a full platform in its own right, complete with hundreds of media-centric addons and means of communicating between machines. This year, we are particularly interested in students with a background in web development to work on projects that haven't received the focus they should, including...


* '''New web interface -''' Virtually every aspect of Kodi can now be controlled through JSON-RPC, as can be seen by numerous apps on Google Play and the iOS store. However, the default web interface for controlling Kodi remains woefully old and featureless. A major step in eventually releasing a server version of Kodi would require a new, fully functional web interface. Students with a background in web development are encouraged to review the JSON-RPC code and submit ideas for this project.
====Transcoding====
*Transcoding is already supported in a number of other open source projects and FFMPEG. Additionally, limited audio transcoding is available in Kodi right now. However to fully support the wide range of devices out there, not to mention better support file transfers on low memory devices, Kodi needs to fully support audio and video transcoding.


* '''Further development of the add-ons browser/showcase -''' The current addon browser found at addons.kodi.tv lacks many of the features of found in other major app stores, including a dev portal, ratings, comments, and more. Additionally, there is no current method for installing an addon into Kodi from the Addon Browser website. A review of some particularly excellent addon sites, such as [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Add-ons for Firefox], may be of benefit. Students are encouraged to submit proposals for improvements along any these categories and more. Creativity in this area is highly encouraged.
====UPnP Improvements including File Transfers====
*Support downloading of of media items (the actual file not just the metadata) from another Kodi instance (e.g. through UPnP) into the local library. This could be done in a "send to" way and in a "download" way and it could also be combined with transcoding depending on the target device.
*UPnP device profiles. there's already a PR that goes in that direction and the problem is that right now we can only really provide device specific MIME type hacks but if we have transcoding we'll definitely need this


=== Build tools projects ===
=== Better Profile Support ===
* '''Cmake build system -'''
Profile support inside Kodi remains extremely hacked together. Improving profile projects would likely be broken down into smaller chunks to make each chunk truly achieveable in a summer.
** Make a cmake build system for binary add-ons for the various Kodi platforms, using the work done in Linux as a guide.
** Create/Extend a template system for quick and easy adding of new addons compatible with all Kodi platforms and port at least 1 addon to them (e.g. pvr.demo or any of the Kodi screensavers).


=== Code-base improvements ===
===Web Browser in Kodi===
This summer, in addition to the traditional big, new feature focus, we'd also like to focus on some features that don't always get a lot of attention. Namely, usability features. Typically these are things that require a lot of creativity and varying degrees of code. Sometimes, they can act as a complete paradigm shift from business as usual. Below are a few ideas in this category...
Initial work on Web Browser implementation already exists, but much is left to do on this project, and many developers are excited to help act as a mentor for this particular project.


* '''Accessibility -''' Improve Kodi to be more useable for the visually impaired. Possibly in relation to Kodi's [[JSON-RPC]] support, in order to interface with screen readers and allow for alternative ways of setting up Kodi. Other ideas include such things as a large-font skin with easy to see colors, and other user interface element improvements needed for the those with partial sight. See [http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=184505 this thread] for discussion.
===Gaming in Kodi ===
* '''Menu-less control -''' Control every screen and item in Kodi without relying on a context menu button.
*Developer Garbear has broken down the Retroplayer project into manageable pieces including input, core, game addons, peripheral addons, netplay, a game library implementation, and shaders to do things like emulate a CRT monitor. Any one of these pieces could make an excellent summer project depending on your familiarity in the area.
* '''Music library improvements -''' Unify the handling of the music and video libraries.
*Limelight is a GPL licensed project that runs on a variety of platforms and is primarily written in java that should be relatively easily integrated into the Kodi file system, allowing for any device running Kodi with access to a controller or a keyboard and mouse to launch and play any game or application being served on a local PC with a relatively recent NVIDIA graphics card.
* '''Key indicators -''' Many UIs include a toolbar that lists what buttons perform what actions, as well as in-action indicators (see e.g. the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim UI). Implement such a system using Kodi's default Confluence skin.
* '''Parental controls -''' Kodi's current [[master lock|lock]] methods and [[profile]] support is very easy to bypass and leaves much to be desired. Implement parental controls without relying on the current profiles hack, in order to restrict content based on ratings or other methods.


=== More ===
=== More ===

Revision as of 09:50, 20 February 2015

Home icon grey.png   ▶ Google Summer of Code ▶ 2015
GSOC 2015 logo-blog.jpg

Welcome to the Kodi Google Summer of Code ideas page.

We encourage interested students to review some of the ideas on this page, and then feel free to provide input on any ideas you may have in the Kodi GSoC subforum and chat about any project you’d love to cover. To propose a project, see #Students project proposal ideas.

From 16 March to 27 March, any interested students may apply at the GSOC home page to work with Kodi. After that, we’ll notify applicants whether we get to work with each other according to the GSOC schedule.

About Us

As there may be many students who have landed here as a result of GSOC, but are unfamiliar with the project, here are a few resources that may help explain what we are about.

Kodi (formerly known as XBMC) is an award-winning free and open source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media, designed around the 10-foot interface (living room) environment. Created in 2003 by a group of like minded programmers, Kodi is a non-profit project run and developed by volunteers located around the world. More than 50 software developers have contributed to Kodi, and 100-plus translators have worked to expand its reach, making it available in more than 40 languages. For more information, see the page Kodi.


To get an idea of what Kodi is truly capable of, it really must be seen. Check out a few other user-created videos:
Kodi with the default Confluence skin
Kodi with Aeon Nox skin
Kodi on Raspberry Pi
Kodi's new PVR functionality

Kodi is written primarily in c++ and runs on a variety of platforms including Android, iOS, Linux, OS X, and Windows. It has been ported to work on several low-power platforms including the Raspberry Pi and Android.

Kodi was a mentoring organization in 2008, 2012 and 2013, and had team members involved in GSoC for other projects during 2011.

If Kodi is selected as a mentoring organization for 2015, students will need to review the Overview of a good project proposal, follow the outline for proposals when applying, and review the list of project ideas detailed below. Students are welcome to propose ideas outside the list and are encouraged to be as creative as they like.

Mentors

All mentors and backup mentors are extremely experienced in the Kodi codebase and will thus be able to assist students in getting to know the codebase and in quickly identifying projects that are both achievable for someone unfamiliar with the internal workings of Kodi and desirable to the wider Kodi community.

Project Proposals

Overview

Qualifications for a good Summer of Code proposal:

  • Discrete, well-defined, modular
  • Comprised of a series of measurable sub-goals
  • Based on open specs that are available free of charge
  • Based on complete specs

An example of a good proposal is the implementation of a new feature or function that is not yet available in Kodi.

An example of a less desirable proposal is one that's not as measurable, such as refactoring an existing API. Bad proposals tend to be ones that would require touching a lot of core code.

To re-iterate:

  • Localized/isolated code projects = good
  • Global code refactoring = bad
  • A project should have a set of subgoals, so even if the end goal turns out to be too big some of the parts will be of benefit.
  • Not too big! This is an important problem when choosing a project, while it is fun to think about solving a grand project its not always realistic. Its better to finish a smaller project than to start a grand one.


Outline for proposals

PROJECT TITLE GOES HERE

  • Name:
  • forum/e-mail:
  • Summary: A somewhat small but explanatory walk through of the project. It should not be overly detailed just enough to understand the problem trying to be fixed and how this project opt to solve it.
  • How will I achieve this: Explain how the project will be done, what technologies are needed and how to implement them.
  • What will the project focus on: Explain what the project will focus on, what is the important parts of the project.
  • Benefits: Who will benefit and why from this project. Think about what a user or developer may need or do to benefit from it. Why does it benefit many users.
  • Goals: What is the goal of the project, a project may not always solve the problem entirely as it may take to much time. Think hard about what can be accomplished during a summer with your skill and deduct that quite a bit. If the project can't be done after this perhaps its better to opt for a smaller one or one with subgoals.
  • What does it touch in Kodi: Think about what parts of the code this may touch, Kodi is a big application and a lot of the code is spread out and very complex. If a project touches to much it may be impossible to complete.
  • Requirements: What is needed to complete the project, what code language knowledge what hardware etc.
  • Possible mentors: Place to add possible mentors (Team-Kodi will add this).

Team-Kodi proposal ideas up for discussion

Editor note: These ideas were copied from 2014.

Server Improvement

Transcoding

  • Transcoding is already supported in a number of other open source projects and FFMPEG. Additionally, limited audio transcoding is available in Kodi right now. However to fully support the wide range of devices out there, not to mention better support file transfers on low memory devices, Kodi needs to fully support audio and video transcoding.

UPnP Improvements including File Transfers

  • Support downloading of of media items (the actual file not just the metadata) from another Kodi instance (e.g. through UPnP) into the local library. This could be done in a "send to" way and in a "download" way and it could also be combined with transcoding depending on the target device.
  • UPnP device profiles. there's already a PR that goes in that direction and the problem is that right now we can only really provide device specific MIME type hacks but if we have transcoding we'll definitely need this

Better Profile Support

Profile support inside Kodi remains extremely hacked together. Improving profile projects would likely be broken down into smaller chunks to make each chunk truly achieveable in a summer.

Web Browser in Kodi

Initial work on Web Browser implementation already exists, but much is left to do on this project, and many developers are excited to help act as a mentor for this particular project.

Gaming in Kodi

  • Developer Garbear has broken down the Retroplayer project into manageable pieces including input, core, game addons, peripheral addons, netplay, a game library implementation, and shaders to do things like emulate a CRT monitor. Any one of these pieces could make an excellent summer project depending on your familiarity in the area.
  • Limelight is a GPL licensed project that runs on a variety of platforms and is primarily written in java that should be relatively easily integrated into the Kodi file system, allowing for any device running Kodi with access to a controller or a keyboard and mouse to launch and play any game or application being served on a local PC with a relatively recent NVIDIA graphics card.

More

We feel it is important to note that, while we are interested in a focus on the listed three areas, we would like to stress passion, expertise, and creativity above all else. If you would like to do something completely different, like create a Game Library to match the existing Movie, TV, and Music libraries and complement Retroplayer, definitely send in that proposal. The ideas listed above are, as always, merely suggestions. We will be interested in any idea, so long as you can communicate your interest, your background, and your solution the problem.

Students project proposal ideas

Submit your own proposals on the Editor note: Link needs updating -->Kodi GSOC 2015 forum. They can be as big or as small as you feel you can comfortably accomplish between 25 May and 21 August. In the end, it's better to have a smaller, completed project, rather than a larger, incomplete project.

To submit a proposal idea:

  1. Copy the text from #Outline for proposals.
  2. Create a new forum post Editor note: Link needs updating -->here and paste the text.
  3. Fill out everything using your specific proposal.
Retrieved from "https://kodi.wiki/index.php?title=Archive:Google_Summer_of_Code/2015&oldid=86712"